Types of Government
The very idea of governments existing as an authority over a society has been around for thousands of years. That idea has expanded over the millennia into many different forms. Although most micronations have modeled their governments off of the types of government of the miconational world, many have created their very own ways of administering themselves. Anarchism Anarcho-communism Anarcho-communism is a socio-economic system that combines the basic tenants of Anarchism and Communism. Anarcho-communist theories advocate the destruction of the State, private property and capital, and assert that such systems should be replaced by Direct Democracy and common ownership by means of production. Many advocates of the system assert that Anarcho-communism is the only true form of Communism because all Communists should be working to achieve a Stateless, classless society. Such theories also rely heavily on the idea that Humanity naturally operates collectively through cooperation rather than individually for the sake of self-preservation, arguing that the Human race can organise itself any way it wishes provided the right tools are given to it. Anarcho-communism is distinctly more liberal than Socialist thoughts such as Stalinism or Maoism which advocate the existence of the State ("dictatorship of the proletariat") in order to protect the People. Anarcho-socialism Anarcho-socialism, commonly known as social anarchism or other similar variations, is an extremely lose term that applies to at least two majors variations of Anarchism. One of these branches advocates a collectivist society combining the fundamental principles of Socialism and Anarchism, whilst the other advocates an individualist system with heavy emphasis on human liberty. It is largely regarded as referring to any anarchist system that places emphasis on community cooperation and mutual development, even if such a society still has individualist tenancies. The theory rejects private property, seeing it as a source of social inequality. Anarcho-socialism is used to specifically describe tendencies within anarchism that have an emphasis on the communitarian and cooperative aspects of anarchist theory and practice. Social anarchism includes (but is not limited to) anarcho-collectivism, anarcho-communism and anarcho-syndicalism. Anarcho-syndicalism Anarcho-syndicalism is a form of Anarchism that revolves around the Labour movement, advocating the abolishment of the State and Capitalism in favour of a society where workers rule. It bears many similarities to Anarcho-communism and many Anarcho-syndicalists may also be Anarcho-communists or Communists. Anarcho-syndicalism's primary objective is the abolishment of the wage and salary system, instead believing that workers should be paid equal to the amount of work they do and as a result the only form of social class should emerge as a result of differences between each individual's willingness to work and achieve. Anarcho-syndicalism is perhaps one of the most common forms of Anarchism with some trade unions adhering to the ideology and operating according to its principles. Anarcho-capitalism Anarcho-capitalism is an a form of anarchism that directly opposes anarcho-communism. Like all anarchist theories, it advocates the destruction of the State. However, it does not advocate the destruction of the capitalist system. Instead, the system revolves entirely around the existence of capitalism. In an anarcho-capitalist society, the natural law of the market would replace political and social order, with all law enforcement and public services being provided by voluntarily-funded competitors. Unlike classical capitalism anarcho-capitalism still relies heavily upon the principles of community organisation, asserting that it is necessary for the community to order itself voluntarily. These same principles apply to business in an anarcho-capitalist system. The concept of the corporation would not apply to an anarcho-capitalist system due to its emphasis on individuality and absolute market freedom. Monarchy Absolute monarchy Absolute monarchy is a form of government where most, if not all, legislative, executive, and judicial powers are vested in the reigning monarch, without restrictions from a constitution, law or similar institution. Typically, the ruler of an absolute monarchy has all the power of the state and the courts, although some absolute monarchies may have some degree of devolution, generally feudalism. Although an absolute monarch generally holds de jure absolute power, most monarchs have only limited power over their nations due to aristocratic influences. Most modern absolute monarchies are in fact constitutional monarchies, with the monarch holding little or no de facto power. Reformed Monarchy Reformed monarchy is a form of government assembled by Lucas Campos. It is the mixture of Constitutional Monarchy and Absolute Monarchy. It contains some kind of parliament, in the case of the Grand Duchy of Koss it is the Royal Council, who has to approve every and any bills, motions, proposed by the Monarch or any other member of the Royal Family. The difference between the Constitutional Monarchy and the Reformed Monarchy is that the Monarch takes part of the Parliament, as an ordinary member or as Chairman, having a vote, on issues. Also, in the Reformed Monarchy, there is a second head of state and government, in the case of the Grand Duchy of Koss it is the Royal Chancellor, who vests the Executive along with the Monarch. Constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of constitutional government, wherein either an elected or hereditary monarch is the head of state, unlike in an absolute monarchy, wherein the king or the queen is the sole source of political power, as he or she is not legally bound by the national constitution. The constitutional monarchy's government and its law are the government and the law of a limited monarchy. Most constitutional monarchies have a parliamentary system in which the monarch is the head of state, but a directly- or indirectly-elected prime minister is head of government. Although contemporary constitutional monarchies are usually representative, "constitutional democratic monarchies", have in the past co-existed with fascist and quasi-fascist constitutions (Italy, Japan, Spain) and with military dictatorships (Thailand). Feudalism Feudalism is a form of monarchy in which the monarch grants his/her land to a number of subordinate nobility. In many cases the nobles themselves divide their lands among lesser-nobles. This can cause decentralization to the point where it becomes difficult to unite towards a common cause. On the other hand Feudalism can be an effective way of administering a nation because of the specific areas the nobility can concentrate on. Dictatorship Totalitarianism Totalitarianism is an ideology rarely espoused, and tends to be a pejorative term applied to societies that the user dislikes. With this in mind, it is thus unwise to take at face value an accusation of "totalitarianism". A totalitarian state is a state in which there is no separation between state and society. The state is all-pervasive and centralised, exercising control over every aspect of life, from sexual orientation to cultural activity. The will of the individual is subjected to the will of the state, and all opposing political, cultural, philosophical or religious expressions are suppressed. Few states have been truly totalitarian, and only one ideology has ever explicitly advocated totalitarianism as a positive force: Fascism Fascism Fascism is a political concept that was developed in the early half of the twentieth century by Benito Mussolini and the Italian Fascist Party. It has been argued over what exactly lead to the development of Fascism as an ideology. Fascists believe that the economy and politics should be organised around Corporatism, that is, mass solidarity and societal roles, as well as strong centralised government & leadership, nationalism, freedom to create war & violence and singular collective identity. Police State Although not strictly a form of government in its own right, a Police State is a form of government in which there is little distinction between the judicial and executive branches of government, with the State having more or less absolute control over the law and judicial systems. Typically, Police States employ the use of a Secret Police - a branch of the legal system that may or may not officially exist and usually operates outside of constitutional law. In a Police State, political and civil freedoms are often very low, with the State having absolute power to crush anyone who opposes them. Benevolent dictatorship A Benevolent Dictatorship, historically known by the ideological or philosophical name Enlightened Absolutism, is a form of dictatorship. Although the fundamentals of government are the same as a dictatorship, Benevolent Dictatorships are characterized by higher political freedoms and civil rights amongst residents of the state in question. Typically, a Benevolent Dictatorship promotes freedom of speech, demonstration, press, religion and/or thought and is considerably less oppressive than an authoritarian dictatorship. A benevolent dictator may allow for some democratic decision-making to exist, such as through public referendumss. Many dictators' regimes portray themselves as benevolent, often tending to regard democratic regimes as messy, inefficient and corrupt, but few are widely viewed as such outside their country or supporters. Aristocracy Plutocracy Plutocracy is a form of government where all real political and economic power is vested in the wealthiest members of society, an individual's wealth usually determing one's ranking in the social hierarchy. Plutcocratic states are characterised by high levels of economic inequality - usually resulting in high levels of proportional poverty - and low social mobility. As a result, plutocratic states tend to develop into aristocratic states over time, with rule according to wealth becoming synomynous with rule by social class. Corporate republic A Corporate Republic a term used to describe a Republican plutocratic State in which most power, usually on a de facto rather than de jure basis, is vested in one or more corporations. Although Corporate Republics do not exist offically in the real world, usually used as a cynical term for the dangers of what some nations might become, they could arise through a single corporation disposing weak government over time. Micronationally, Corporate Republics are a rather new kind of government, as there has been no stable economy to build it upon. However, with the advent of phpBB systems and the potentiality of post-based economies has given the Corporate Republic a new chance. Meritocracy Technocracy Technocracy ("techno" from the Greek tekhne for skill, "cracy" from the Greek kratos for "power") is a form of government in which engineers, scientists, health professionals, and other technical experts are in control of decision making in their respective fields. Thus the term technocracy denotes a system of government where those who have knowledge, expertise or skills compose the governing body. In a technocracy decision makers would be selected based upon how highly knowledgeable they are, rather than how much political capital they hold. Representation Direct Democracy Direct Democracy, sometimes known as Pure Democracy, is a form of government characterised by the lodging of sovereignty and subsequent powers in a body of citizens who wish to participate in such a system. Typically, this body refers to the legislative assembly of the nation, thus meaning citizens effectively become the de facto law makers for the nation. Direct Democracy sometimes includes citizen involvement in judicial systems also. Typically, members of the legislative branch elect the executive officials and have the power to dismiss them. Direct Democracy is different to Representation in the sense that the minority exercises political power following election by the majority who are seeking representation. Direct Democracy is much more common in Micronational states due to the immense inpracticalities of operating an effective system of Representation in many states. Republic A republic is a form of sovereign state in which the sovereignty is vested in the entire populace, rather than in an elite (oligarchy) or an individual (monarchy). Republics are therefore, by definition, democratic in nature. In typical practice, the sovereign power of the people is exercised by the election of officials to exercise some or all of those sovereign powers according to law. The most common feature that a republic has with other forms of democracy is rhetoric. Republics tend to have similar preambles in their constitution (if they have them) to direct democracies, have a Bill of Rights to guarantee rights to all citizens, and tend to feel that all citizens have a potential to have a say in the government. However, the realistic argument for a republic is quite different in micronations than in macronations, as micronations tend to be small enough to have full-fledged direct democracies. As well, a republic is necessarily quantized in political opinion--it may be possible for an outspoken citizen who has strong opinions in the government to not be in the legislature, and for the rest of the legislature to ignore his opinions. A republic also tends to have slower forms of legislature than a direct democracy as well, usually having more a more legalese procedure for the legislature. However, republics tend to be more stable than direct democracies in terms of lifetime, and can more easily mimic macronational governments. Federal Republic A federal republic is a federation of states or communities united under a central republican government. In the most basic of terms, a federal republic is simply a federation without a paternal head of state (monarch). There are no other criteria to describe a federal republic and it is possible for systems of government to vary greatly between any two such entities. Typically, states or constituent countries in a federal republic mimic the central government in the sense that they are also forbidden to have a monarch as their ruler. Federal republics can be very practical for micronations which claim land based on where the citizens live. Many micronations have members which were gained on the internet and therefore are never physically together. The ability to divide a nation into various states can be very useful in these cases. Also, to have a form of government in which the people rule can create a vacuum for the growth of nations. On the other hand, authoritarian nations tend to push new citizens away. Democratic republic A Democratic Republic is any form of government that lacks a Monarch in the role of Head of State (Republican) and operates a political system bound to the principles of Democracy. Typically, the term Democratic Republic is used as a title for a nation rather than a term to describe it's sytem of government. This is largely because the term Democratic Republic could be adapted to describe any kind of State without a Monarch - both the People's Republic of China and the United States of America operate a democratic system at some level of government for example, yet neither of these systems has anything in common and few macronations regard the former as a Democratic state. Confederation A Confederation, not to be confused with Federation, is a form of national or supranational government in which the State is comprised of a number of autonomous or semi-autonomous States or Communities. Modern Confederations tend to be comprised of multiple sovereign Nations rather than autonomous regions, as in a Federation. Confederations are usually established with the intention of addressing critical international issues. In almost all cases a Confederation is established through a simple treaty and then later evolves to become a Constitutional entity, possibly resulting in the creation of a Federation. Membership in a Confederation is always voluntary, unlike in a Federation where member States are obliged to remain part of the union. Federation A Federation is a form of government characterised by the existence of several autonomous or semi-autonomous States, Constituent Countries or Communities with their own individual governments answerable to a single central government. Typically, Federations are Federal Republics, although the term may also apply to Monarchies or Oligarchies with Principalities or similar puppet states answering to a single central authority. Unlike a Confederation in which membership is entirely voluntary, a Federation is a nation within it's own right. As such, the central government exercises a great deal more power than in a Confederation. The best example of a macronational Federation is the United States of America, with another major example being the Russian Federation. Communism Socialism Socialism is the name given to a wide range of socio-economic, and to a lesser degree cultural and political, theories based on the principle of economic determinism - that is, the functioning of society and government is ultimately determined by the organisation and inherent nature of the base economic system. Socialists typically advocate either total or partial common ownership of the means of production, fair allocation of economic resources, equal redistribution of wealth, republicanism and the abolition of the class system through either revolutionary or progressive means. Modern Socialism is closely linked to Communism, though the two should not be confused and Socialist thought pre-dates modern Communist thought by at least several decades. Within the left-right ideological spectrum, Socialism is usually classed as inhabiting the centre-left to far centre-left of the spectrum, with Communism inhabiting the extreme left. Although different branches of Socialism typically consider themselves to be the main, or perhaps only, method of Socialist thought, the term can be applied to a number of various socio-economic theories and political ideologies that may not have a great deal in common. The late twentieth century has in particular seen the rise of a much more progressive form of Socialism in the western world compared to its historical, more extreme form. The most important division in the Socialist community is that between those who advocate revolution and those who advocate reform, with the former frequently being Communists. In Communist though, Socialism is seen as a transitionary stage between a capitalist (and often statist) society and a Stateless, Communistic society - thus, most Communist States consider themselves to be Socialist Republics. In much of the western world however, this view has been rejected by the mainstream Socialist community, who have come to see Socialism as being compatible with liberal democracy (as opposed to the Communist popular democracy) and believe that progressive reform of society is needed rather than sudden revolutionary change. Kritarchy A kritarchy is a system of rule over a nation by judges. The term was originally used to describe the government of Israel in the biblical book of Judges. Category:Micropedia